Efficient refinishing with One Visit Application from Standox
Bodyshop owners know exactly how to optimise work processes: Limit unproductive breaks to an absolute minimum, ensure an intelligent division of labour, do not allow energy-intensive equipment to run for longer than necessary. But there is one step in the repair process where even the best planning won’t help: the spray booth. It remains a bottleneck, at least for those bodyshops that work with traditional application methods.
The alternative One Visit Application method will, however, allow bodyshops to cut idle time in the coating process and in the spray booth substantially. Refinishers need only pay one visit to the spray booth per coating. Wet on wet filler, basecoat and clear coat are applied in one-and-a-half or two wet-on-wet passes that follow each other with only intermediate flash off time.
Wuppertal-based refinish coating brand Standox has developed a range of products for use with One Visit Application. It is the only paint brand to offer a complete One Visit repair from filler to clear coat. Take for example the VOC Nonstop Primer Filler, which is applied in a light half coat, immediately followed by a full coat, without flash-off. The Standohyd basecoat, as well as the Standofleet topcoat and Standocryl VOC Express Clear can each be applied in one-and-a-half passes. In the case of Standofleet and the VOC Express Clear, refinishers simply apply a thin closed-coat and immediately follow it with a full, deep pass onto the still-wet coat, without any flash-off time at all. The process for Standohyd is the reverse, with refinishers spraying a full pass and then a mist-coat onto the still-wet film.
“If we calculate the time saved over an entire day of work, it makes a big difference,” says Jodie Henly, Standox UK brand specialist, “One Visit Application increases efficiency and is of particular economic benefit to larger bodyshops that have a higher workload and a larger throughput. And the One Visit Application products of course offer the accustomed premium quality and support that comes as standard with Standox. Even with this innovative approach, bodyshops can rest assured they will obtain perfect results.
“Thanks to a specially developed coatings technology we can achieve optimal drying. The hiding power of the top- and basecoats are just as perfect after only one-and-a-half passes,” Henly concludes. “Bodyshops will not only save valuable time with One Visit Application, but also materials – without making any concession to quality.”
In view of rising energy costs, this application method, which was developed in Germany, could also be of interest to medium-sized and smaller bodyshops who are not necessary struggling with high throughput issues. After all, every minute saved in the spray booth cuts energy bills and therefore benefits the bottom line.
For further information on One Visit Application and compatible products, please visit www.standox.co.uk/1va. Also available on the site is a short video showing how the system works, and comparing it to more traditional application techniques. Information on the full range of Standox training courses is also available on the website, or through local distributors.